170. Guatteria verrucosa R.E.Fr. — Plate 8h; Map 34

Guatteria verrucosa R.E.Fr.(1939) 519,f. 35a. —

Type: Brenes 4058 (holo F; iso F), Costa Rica, Alajuela, La Palma de San Ramón, 1175 m, 4 Sept.1924.

Tree 3–28 m tall,to c. 50 cm diam;young twigs rather densely covered with appressed hairs or glabrous. Leaves: petiole 3–5(–8) mm long, 1–2 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 7–17 by 2.5–5 cm (leaf index 3–3.5), chartaceous, densely verruculose, dull, greyish green to brown above, brown below, glabrous above, sparsely covered with minute appressed hairs below, base acute to attenuate, decurrent along petiole, apex acuminate (acumen 5–15 mm long), primary vein flat to slightly raised above, sparsely covered with erect hairs along the primary vein above, sparsely covered with appressed hairs below, secondary veins distinct, 8–16 on either side of primary vein, raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 1–3 mm, tertiary veins raised above, reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; pedicels 10–15 mm long, c. 1 mm diam, fruiting pedicels to c. 25 mm long, c. 3 mm diam, rather densely to sparsely covered with appressed hairs, articulated at c. 0.3 from the base, bracts 4–6, soon falling, not seen; flower buds depressed ovoid; sepals free, shallowly ovate-triangular, 3–4 by 5 – 6 mm, reflexed, outer side rather densely to sparsely covered with appressed hairs; petals yellowish green, cream or pale yellow in vivo, broadly ovate to ovate, 8–15 by 6–9 mm, rather densely to sparsely covered with appressed hairs; stamens 1.5–2 mm long, connective shield papillate. Monocarps 15 –25, green, red, to finally purplish black in vivo, black in sicco, ellipsoid to ovoid or broadly so, somewhat wrinkled, 10–17 by 9–13 mm, glabrous, apex rounded, wall 1–5 mm thick, stipes 2–5 by 1–3 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 9–13 by 6–11 mm, dark brown, rugose, raphe not distinct from rest of seed.

Distribution — Costa Rica.

Habitat & Ecology — In lower montane rain forest.At elevations of 900–1600 m. Flowering: January, May, July, August, December; fruiting: March, August, November, December.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Notes — Guatteria verrucosa is easily confused with G. oliviformis. However, it can be recognized by a combination of young twigs densely covered with appressed hairs, leaves that are verruculose, and shortly stipitate, almost ovoid, very thick-walled monocarps. Also, this species is only known from the Monteverde region (Puntarenas) and the mountains of La Palma de San Ramón (Alajuela) in Costa Rica.

The pedicels of this species are often woody below the articulation.